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| Spit Shined & Ready to Ride! |
I have owned several bikes over the last ten years or so but I must confess I haven't enjoyed owning a bike as much as I have my Suzuki Intruder 1400 since my
Harley-Davidson Nightster! Like the Nightster, there are hundreds of things that you can do to the Intruder that many Japanese bikes are limited by. I have spent the last few months, in particular, the last week especially, bobbing out my bike as much as I can without actually changing the structural integrity of the bike. Inspired by many of the ideas I have seen via
Intruder Alert and
Blue Collar Bobbers, I am proud of the end result given that there isn't anything that any
Joe Schmo couldn't do himself. The final touch were some decals that I added today after washing the bike and prepping it for this coming weekend's ride to
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.
My son added a few
personal touches, a five year old biker in the making, he was particularly helpful this week keeping me company and losing my nuts and bolts. It's part of the adventure of home shop repair and modifications when you're a father of two! ;-)
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| Serenity Bobbed-Out! |
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| Decals of a 1940's Pin Up |
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| Can You Spot My Son's Addition? |
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| Autobot, Naturally! |
The saddle bag was purchased several years ago on eBay. I think the brand name is
LaPera, but I am not sure. I had originally bought it for my Nightster but found it didn't fit quite right. The decals were also purchased online via eBay when I was still living in
Ireland. Again, they were originally destined for the Nightster... but as fate would have it we moved home to Canada in 2010. These things sat for years unused until today. Surprisingly, it brought everything together on my bike and I couldn't be happier. My son in particular was rather pleased about the Autobot insignia being placed on the bike. Although if it were up to him, it would have been placed directly on the tank facing upward. A tad too dramatic for my tastes but we found a happy compromise and it now has a home on the back of my front fender. Surprisingly, again, it doesn't actually look bad at all and suits the chromed out engine of the Suzuki Intruder. It's a nice little reminder whilst out riding that I have two wonderful little boys waiting for me back home! =-)
I took my bike for a short spin today and admittedly, I had to tweak a few things here and there to get her just right and comfortable for riding. I love the fact that I am getting to know a new side of this bike as its been well over two years now that I have ridden with Ape Bars. I originally had 12 inch Apes on my Nightster. These Ape bars are only 10inches high but because of the high rake and profile of the Intruder, they actually feel much higher than the Apes I had on my Nightster.
So there you have it, a stock Suzuki Intruder transformed into something 'more me' in just a short period of time. Most importantly, my son feels like its now his bike too, an important part of nurturing his interest in an otherwise wonderful past time for most or, as in my case, a way of life. I can't wait for the day he will be old enough (and tall enough) to ride with me... I know what you're thinking, my wife says NO to sidecars.... sigh. Cheers!
You really are a softie when it come to bikes, wife, and kids. Are you religious also?
ReplyDeleteJust curious.:)
Tiredtinker
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMushy, I know sorry... ;-) No, not religious, just a softie at heart. :-)
BSJ
Nice job buddy,
ReplyDeletesee you soon hopefully the weather will change and I'll get a chance to see the new redheads in your life.
Stay safe
Raffi
Glad to hear it! Who needs mass panacea anyway.:)
ReplyDeleteTiredtinker
Love everything you have done, particularly the pipes. Where did you buy those?
ReplyDeleteHi, bought the pipes off an american store via eBay: targagarage. At the time they said they weren't getting any more in either, that these were the last set, but who knows!? Contact them and they may be able to get a set for you.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteIt's been brought to my attention by a friend today that my wording of the changes I have made to my bike is not in line with the reality of what a "true bobber" actually is. Allow me to assure all of you that I know my bike isn't a true bobber in the literal sense of the word. It's just a bike with new bits and bobs and although I did consider wrapping the pipes, removing the front fender, cutting the rear fender, etc... inevitably I decided to go the poor man's route and just enjoy it as it is for the time being until the Chrome goes bad, paint fades and well, she needs to be properly bobbed then! As it stands, this is a beautiful specimen of an Intruder and I didn't have the heart to be honest to tear her apart.
It was also mentioned that my handlebars are in fact Ape Bars, not Z-Bars. Actually, they are listed as Wild One Z bars in lieu of the bottom of them being z shaped. I too disagreed with the seller when I first bought them from him via eBay thinking and stating that they are ape bars. However, the seller was insistant and the company itself lists them as Z-Bars in lieu of the fact that they are z-shaped at the bottom. Who am I to argue at the end of the day. I guess you could say that they are the end result of Z bars and Ape bars having a one night stand! Lol....
Any terminology I use is for fun and for getting people curious about the changes I have made to my bike. Maybe I shouldn't take it all as lightly as I do however its all I can do sometimes in trying to navigate a world that is surprisingly highly charged and yes, whiny a lot of the time.
For the record, I know that my friend is right, I shouldn't have called my bike a bobber but hey, given the factory made bobber's out there and the fact that everything that is on my bike now was supposedly never going to fit (according to some s**t shop wanting to make more money off of me) it's closer to the spirit (at least in my own personal man hours) of what a bobber constitutes than the factory produced models out there.. Lol.
If any of you have any suggestions on what I can do to change my bike further go ahead and share. The above mentioned ideas are good but certain laws in my neck of the woods prevent me from even removing the front fender... Which is ridiculous, I know, but Quebec is far from bike friendly in its policies and laws.
So thank you all for having a look and for being patient with my terminology of things. Inevitably I am sure we can all agree that these Intruder's are bitching fun and a great toy to play around with. Trust me, when my bike is no longer in the unused pristine condition that I found her in than the blow torch will come out and a shopping spree with Blue Collar Bobbers, amongst a few places I can think of, will ensue!
BSJ